Survey takes the measure of high-tech marketing

Technology marketing consultancies, Concentrate and Swaytech have launched the eighth annual Market Measures study that benchmarks the sales and marketing activities of New Zealand’s hi-tech companies, with sponsorship from New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.

Concentrate managing director, Owen Scott, citing research from the New Zealand Technology Industry Assocation NZTech, said there were 28,000 hi-tech companies in New Zealand, employing over 100,000 people and contributing eight percent of GDP. (A relatively small sample of 323 participated in the 2015 survey.)

“What Market Measures does is help our hi-tech stars compare their sales and marketing strategies against each other, and against USA tech company benchmarks,” Scott said.Bob Pinchin, director of Swaytech, added: “What we are focused on uncovering is the approaches that are mostly likely to enable our hi-tech companies to efficiently grow their sales in offshore markets.”

Concentrate said the 2015 survey had shown that, to improve their sales and marketing, companies should arm themselves with a greater diversity of content to power their digital marketing, and broaden the range of channels used to attract prospective customers to it.

They also need to shift the digital content produced from information mainly focussed on satisfying existing customers, to content that is aimed at attracting and converting leads, and increase the pace and intensity of their marketing activity, and find ways to make the process more efficient and cost-effective.

Concentrate said: “Measurement is our weakest discipline when it comes to generating leads, which will need to change as the shift to online marketing continues.”

Participants in the survey gain access to the results of the study, which is also supported by a number of other organisations: Callaghan Innovation, the New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust, Priority One (Tauranga), New Zealand Health IT, Canterbury Tech Cluster, Grow Wellington, the New Zealand Software Association, Canterbury Development Corporation and EPIC Innovation. It is available online at www.marketmeasures.co.nz. The results will be available in September.

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